Gisekia africana

Primary tabs

Gisekia africana

Gisekia africana (Lour.) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 3(3): 108. 1898 sec. Gilbert 19931
  • ≡Miltus africana Lour., Fl. Cochinch.: 302. 1790 syn. sec. ???2
    • Neotype: Mozambique, Loureiro s.n. (location not known); Mozambique, Forbes s.n. (neotype BM; iso- neotype K: designated by Adamson, 1961)
  • =Glinus miltus Raeusch., Nomencl. Bot., ed. 3: 141. 1797, nom. superfl., syn. sec. Moquin-Tandon 1849: 284,3
  • 3. POWO 2017+: Plants of the World Online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. – http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org: 30 nov 2023, 4. Moquin-Tandon, C. H. B. A. 1849: Phytolaccaceae, 1-40, 459-460. – In: Candolle, A.P. de, Prodr. 13(2)
  • =Glinus mozambicensis Spreng., Syst. Veg., ed. 16, 2: 467. 1825, nom. illeg., syn. sec. Gilbert 19937,5,6
  • –Glinus mosambicensis Spreng. ex M.G.Gilbert, nom. inval., syn. sec. Berendsohn 20239,8
  • 5. same type as Miltus africana Lour., 6. Gilbert, M. G. 1993: A review of Gisekia (Gisekiaceae). – Kew Bulletin 48(2): 343-356, 7. Gilbert, M. G. 1993: A review of Gisekia (Gisekiaceae). – Kew Bulletin 48(2): 343-356. http://doi.org/10.2307/4117942, 8. orthogr. error, 9. Berendsohn, W. G. 2023: Revisions
  • =Gisekia miltus Fenzl, Nov. Stirp. Dec.: 86. 1889 syn. sec. Gilbert 199310

Content

Notes

G. africana is common in southern Africa north to Mozambique with isolated records from Zanzibar, and a rather distinctive form restricted to the sand dunes of the northern Kenyan and southern Somalian coasts. The northern form is not variable but there are collections of var. africana from the southern area which match it rather closely whilst intergrading with the much more variable southern material. The species is particularly variable in southern Africa, and Gongalves (1978) did not recognise any infraspecific taxa. There is, however, so much variation that some further discussion does seem essential, especially as the alternative view presented by Adamson (1961) missed some important information. This variation contrasts rather sharply with that seen (or rather not seen) in the northern taxa (including the northern representative of G. africana). Thus Gongalves has not been followed and the infraspecific taxa are reviewed. Only one collection of Gisekia with winged mericarps has been seen from southern Africa. Unfortunately this is Kirk s.n., the lectotype of G. africana var.pedunculata. It seems quite remarkable that no one has drawn attention to the distinctive fruits of this collection. In all other features, such as habit and the possession of flowers with c. 10 carpels and no stamens, the collection is typical of many of the lax-flowered unisexual forms placed in G. africana var. decagyna. There are quite a number of other collections from the general region but these are all too immature to show the form of the ripe mericarps and one can only guess that some of these might have matched the Kirk specimen when mature.A

Bibliography

A. Gilbert, M. G. 1993: A review of Gisekia (Gisekiaceae). – Kew Bulletin 48(2): 343-356. http://doi.org/10.2307/4117942